


Two Queens

by xnemos



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Prophecy, Slow Burn, The Enchanted Forest (Once Upon a Time), Time Travel, can't believe im actualy posting this, uhhh what do people normally tag, veeeeerrry sloooooow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-07-29 03:03:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20075056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xnemos/pseuds/xnemos
Summary: Two Queens.One to destroy the worldOne to save itRegina Mills and Emma Swan have only ever wanted to be one thing, happy. Both of them realize that despite what they want for themselves, the world, fate and other people always have different plans for them. Growing up was never easy for either of them, Regina in the Enchanted Forest and Emma as a foster kid, never finding a home. What happens when someone finds Emma and takes her back to where she's from? Why does fate insist on keeping them in boxes that they never felt they belonged? Both grew up in harsh conditions, and both are destined to be Queen. Similar lives, yet such different tales. Who will be the one to save the world from the other?(loosely based off empirium trilogy)





	1. One of Light. One of Darkness.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey gays! It's been a hot minute since I've written fanfic, but I couldn't get the bug to write to go away so I figured why not. This is the preface, so pleaseeee don't just give up on me yet :p I write at least two chapters in advance, just in case there's a week I can't write so I can update! Hope you enjoy the wild wild ride these two are going to go on!
> 
> tumblr: thegoodlesbians  
twitter: thegoodlesbians 
> 
> :D

_ There was once a prophecy that foretold that one day in the distant, distant future that two queens would rise. One of light and one of darkness. One who would bring destruction to the world and one who could save us all. _

** _ \- master of whispers; year 1549_ **

The air was stale as Henry watched with wide-eyes, afraid to swallow. He stayed silent as a cackle released into the air.  “What, Miss Swan? Afraid I’ll bite?” Regina spat out, lightning crackling around her as she took a step toward Emma. Despite the position she was in, Emma couldn’t help but chuckle. “Really, Regina?  _ Miss Swan? _ We’ve been through too much for such an impersonal greeting.” 

Regina’s eyes narrowed, taking a moment to steady her breathing. She briefly looked down before meeting Emma’s eyes, a smirk playing on her lips. “You’re quite right,” she starts, tone flat. She walks around Emma slowly, sizing her up. “Queen Emma is more fitting.” 

Emma’s eyes flashed, anger spreading through her body. She swiftly turned to Regina, pinning her to a tree with the dagger in her hand at her throat. She could feel Regina’s breath slow as she pressed against her, eyes dangerously dark. “Don’t.” she breathed out. 

Regina let out a guttural laugh and moved her head forward, causing the dagger to dig deeper into her throat. The spot where the dagger pressed into her throat drew blood but neither dared to look away from the other, their faces too close. Both intoxicated and infuriated by the other.

Emma’s eyes flashed down to Regina’s lips and then back to her eyes. She couldn’t stop herself from licking her lips at the sight of her. “A dagger is nothing compared to what I’ve been through,  _ Emma.”  _ Regina snarled out. Emma winced, past conversations they had intruding her thoughts.

With Emma slightly distracted, Regina took this chance to push her, causing her to falter slightly before sideswiping her legs. “You are  _ nothing  _ compared to what transpired to create the Evil Queen.” she spit out. 

“Maybe I’m not,” Emma started, emotion drained from her voice. Looking up at Regina, she suppressed a sad smile before wrapping her hand around her dagger that had fallen onto the ground. “But you’ve never really seen what I was capable of, have you?” Emma stated in a forced sarcastic tone that gave way to sadness.

Regina laughed, the sound traveling down Emma’s spine to her core. “You? The  _ Savior?  _ Please.” She bent down to Emma, shaking her head with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes firmly on her face. “I know  _ exactly _ what you’re capable of,  _ Em-ma _ ” 

Her eyebrows drew close as she closed her eyes, letting out a low chuckle. “Right. Because you know me.” she spat out bitterly. Using her free hand, she wiped away the tears that were forming in her eyes and reached her hand out to Regina. “Friends?” Regina hesitated, looking past Emma and seeing Henry. He wasn’t supposed to be there. He was supposed to be in the castle, safe. How was he here?  _ Why  _ was he here? 

She took in a deep breath and looked back at Emma, extending her hand. “For now.” she said curtly, helping the blonde up from the ground. Emma forced out a smile, as she pulled herself from the floor and then pulled Regina into a hug. “I’m so sorry Regina.” she said softly, voice thick with emotion, before plunging the dagger into Regina’s stomach.

Regina stared wide-eyed at Emma, tears pooling in her eyes. “Emma?” she croaked out as she backed up until she hit the tree that moments before she was pinned to. She slid down to the floor, coughing. Wetness came out of her mouth and when she touched it she realized it was blood. “MOM NO!” she faintly heard a child’s voice screech from a group of trees.  _ No,  _ she thought to herself.  _ Not a child. My child. My Henry.  _

She looked up at Emma with confusion in her eyes, then betrayal. Her eyes darted from her to Henry who was running toward them. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she continued coughing. The world seemed to speed up and slow down all at once. She blinked away her tears, but the dark spots filling her vision clouded the small body that ran to hers.

“Henry–“ she choked out, her trembling hand reaching for his. He caught her hand and held it in his own. “It’s okay, mom. It’s okay. I love you. We’re going to do something. You have magic. It’s okay, we’re going to help you.” he spoke in a panic as he carefully held onto her. “I’m sorry.” she grunted out, voice low and breath shallow. 

Henry looked at his mother and kissed her on the forehead. “It’s okay mom, I’ll save you.” he choked out. Regina looked at him and smiled. “I am...so proud…of you.” she breathed out, voice ragged. He shook his head, not believing this was happening. “No, no, no, no, no.” he repeated, each no getting louder.

The sound of Henry’s hurt voice filled Regina with a heavy sadness. Her eyes fluttered closed as she tried to keep a hold of consciousness for as long as she could. With as strong of a squeeze as she could muster for Henry, he watched as the light faded from her eyes and close for good. He got up slowly, placing her hand softly on her lap before laying her down on the ground, back toward Emma.

“What did you do?” his voice shaky and thick with emotion. “Henry I–“ Emma started, voice trembling as she looked from her hand where Regina’s blood was to the dagger that was in her stomach. He clenched his fist as his body shook. Tears pooled in her eyes as she reached out to Henry only to have him jerk away from her and turn around, backing away from her. “ _ WHAT DID YOU DO _ !” he screamed. 

The scream was filled with more anger and sadness than a ten year old should ever have to feel. It caused Emma’s blood to run cold and she watched as he dropped to his knees . His scream gave way to body wracking sobs that caused birds to fly away from the trees they were perched on. 

Emma slowly moved closer to Henry, eyes filled with tears as she watched him heave, his body shaking violently from his sobs. She slowly placed a hand on his shoulder and he screamed again, but this time a strong blast of power threw her back, her body slamming against a tree. 

“Henry,” she said with a strained voice. She pushed herself up from the floor and looked up to see him glowing bright and golden. As he continued sobbing and screaming as his body started lifting from the ground until he was floating in the air.

Then, with a sudden burst of wind and a bright light, he was gone. Emma blinked, her vision blurred. When it finally cleared she was left alone with Regina’s dead body and a hollowness that hasn’t been there before. “I’m sorry” she cried out as she dropped to her knees, and buried her head into her hands . “I’m so sorry.”


	2. The Stable Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, to those who still are reading, THANKS! This is going to be a slow burn and I need to establish the ~scene~ so I hope you enjoy and stick around for the rest! 
> 
> twitter: thegoodlesbians

**REGINA**

Laughter filled the air as they raced each other through the forest. It was the most free Regina felt in her life. Childish joy filled her heart as she cut through to her shortcut, occasionally looking back to see if Daniel was following. 

She smirked as the trees started clearing and her home was in sight. As always, she would beat Daniel and leave him confused with how she could’ve possibly beat him. As she approached the castle, she slowed down, a small breeze grazed her skin and she looked up at the sky, the warmth of her winning again flowed through her body. 

Regina was fixing her unkempt hair from riding when suddenly something felt off. Something in the air felt wrong and Regina’s heart started beating faster than it already was as she looked around wildly. “Who’s there?!” she called out, trying to figure out what caused the sudden shift. She began picking up her pace until she finally made it to the castle. There she waited for a moment, hoping the uneasy feeling would pass. 

As she waited for Daniel, a sinking feeling filled her heart. _ It shouldn’t be taking this long _ she thought anxiously. Despite her shortcut putting her ahead in the race, Daniel was never too far behind. Finally, leaves in the trees started rustling and the uneasy feeling lessened, though her heart rate hadn’t slowed. She looked at the rustling leaves and then through to the forest. “Daniel?” she called out, hoping for an answer and that this was just one of his silly jokes he loved to play on her.

When no answer came, she took her horse closer to the forest entrance. There was no sight of him as far as her eyes could see. “Daniel!” she yelled to no avail. Her eyes searched wildly, looking for any hint of him. Panic spread through her body. 

She moved to re-enter the forest and her horse shook his head, standing on his hind legs and started neighing. Regina’s eyebrows furrowed as her uneasy feeling continued to grow. She dug her heels into her horse and he finally relented, running into the forest. 

“Dan–“ she started before having the breath knocked out of her. Next thing she knew she was up in the air, barely able to breathe and clawing at her neck to get whatever invisible force preventing her to breathe to lessen its grip. The horse continued running through the forest to get away from whatever grabbed Regina.

There was a crack in the air and Regina’s blood ran cold. Immediately she knew what this was. Who this was. “ _ Regina _ , my child.” Cora speaks, her tone falsely sweet. Regina eyes widen and then closed. She coughed out a short humorless laugh, still struggling in the air barely able to breathe. “Mother.” she says dully. 

Cora Mills stepped away from the tree where moments before she’d just been hiding. “Hello, dear.” Her reply curt, the smile on her face not meeting her eyes. Panic spiked through Regina’s body as she tried to visually remain as calm as possible. Fear was just another form of weakness in her mother’s eyes, it would do nothing to help her. Her mother was supposed to be gone for at least three more days, how could she have been so stupid. 

The realization of Daniel being missing and her mother returning early wasn’t lost on her. “Where... is... he...” Regina grunted out, the force of it hurting her throat, words coming out raspy and eyes starting to search around frantically.

The pressure around Regina’s neck tightened, making it harder for her to breath. She kicks her legs wildly, clawing at her throat, unable to breathe. She looked at her mother unable to hide the fear that this would be the moment she dies. She tried her hardest to keep a hold on her consciousness but seeing it slip, tears started forming in her eyes. “Please stop.” she choked out.

Then, all at once, the pressure released and Regina fell from the air to the ground barely managing to catch herself with her hands. She looked down at the ground, her breathing harsh. “Mind your place, Regina.” Cora snaps. Regina looks up at Cora defiantly, but says nothing. She balls her hands into fists, feeling the cuts that formed as a result of her fall. “Where is Daniel?” Regina questions, her voice coming out weaker than she intended. She cursed herself, hating how pathetic she sounded. She knew her mother would use this against her, but in what way? She had yet to figure it out. 

Cora’s eyes flashed, anger barely contained in them. She flicked her wrist and a bound, gagged and unconscious Daniel appeared in a cloud of smoke. “Daniel!” Regina cried out as she tried to make her way to him. Vines from the trees surrounding her kept her in place. The more she struggled against them, the tighter the hold would become.

“The _stable boy_,” she started, her forceful and harsh tone enough to make Regina flinch as though she’d been slapped. “doesn’t know where his place is. You are to be Queen, Regina. The most regal of them all and I can’t have you running off doing…” she waved her hand in the air, toward the general direction of Daniel, a look of disgust on her face “who knows what with the help. A stable boy. How would that look?” 

Regina couldn’t help the feeling of shame that bubbled up in her chest as her mother spoke. Daniel regained consciousness and Regina’s gaze rested on him, tears prickling in her eyes before looking away. She blinked her tears away, refusing to allow her mother to see her vulnerability. Each word falling from Cora’s lips felt like a death sentence. Another added weight of a life she didn’t want but a choice that was made for her long before she was born.

“I don’t want to be queen, mother. I want to be free.” she croaked out, meeting Cora’s eyes. Cora let out a dry laugh, shaking her head. “I love him mother. I have always loved him.” she continued, her voice stronger and unwavering. She looked at Regina with false sympathy and in a quiet, pitying voice responded. “I know you have.” 

Cora unbound Daniel with another flick of her wrist and he rushed over to Regina, guarding her. Regina looked up at him, the love for him spreading through her body as the vines around her body released the hold on her. She looked at Cora in shock, unable to believe her words. “You do?” she said, voice thick with emotion. Cora simply nodded her head, a ghost of a sad smile playing on her lips.

Regina couldn’t help the smile that formed on her face, despite the disbelief flooding through her. She hadn’t expected the conversation to go this way. She never thought her mother would  _ ever  _ find out about Daniel at all, let alone know about the love she had for him. “I just want to be with him. I want to be happy” Regina said, looking away from Cora and back into Daniel’s eyes. The smile on her face growing when looking at him.

A strange look came across Daniel’s face and Regina tilted her head in confusion. “Wh-What is it Daniel?” she asked, a frown replacing the smile that had once graced her face. Daniel just stared past her with a wide-eyed and painful look on his face. She looked back at her mother in horror, seeing a heart in her hands.

“No, no, no, no!” she started crying out, frantically looking between her mother and Daniel. Cora began slowly squeezing the heart in her hand and Daniel crumpled to the ground, hand over his chest where his heart should be. “Mother NO!” she cried out, running toward Cora, fear etched onto her face. 

With a swing of her arm, Regina was knocked back into a tree. Regina couldn’t keep herself from crying now as she tried to crawl toward Daniel, coughing as she did. “I’m doing this for you, Regina.” Cora stated, exasperated. “Please mother, I love him. Please!” she cried out, her words coming out in choked sobs. “You can banish him, send him away. I won’t be with him, I promise. Please.” she continued, begging despite knowing that Cora would see this as another sign of weakness. She didn’t care what happened to her. She didn’t care if her mother saw her as weak, or if she was to be punished for begging. Not as long as it saved Daniel.

Cora relaxed her hand, no longer squeezing his heart. Regina looked at her, relief flooded through her body as she finally reached a gasping Daniel. She gave him a watery smile before placing a kiss on his lips. When she pulled away, Daniel’s eyes were once again wide and pained. She snapped her up to her mother’s who was squeezing his heart with an intense force. “Wh–what are you doing?” she screamed, her voice not sounding like her own.

Cora let out a dry chuckle. “What am I doing, dear?” she repeated. She let out a tsk, shaking her head. “I’m doing what’s best for you, Regina.” she sternly responded, annoyed by the insubordination of her daughter. “As long as he’s alive...” she continued, squeezing harder as she spoke “...you will always love him.” she finished curtly. “And we just can’t have that for a Queen.” she shook her head, disappointed in Regina. All that Cora worked for, all that she planned for her daughter was slipping away from her as long as he lived. She couldn’t have all that she suffered end in vain over some childish love. 

Then, quicker than Regina was able to plead for his life once more, his heart was reduced to dust and released to the wind. She looked down, away from her mother as tears fell quickly from her eyes. “After all, dear...” started Cora, voice void of emotion. Regina couldn’t take her eyes off of Daniel, sobs shaking her body. “Love is weakness.”

**Author's Note:**

> so I know I took away the tag of "major character death" but despite how the preface started, that is not going to be how this fic ends. at the end of the day, I always want to see swan queen happy so there will be NO (final) major character death. I don't want you to think you've been duped by me, lol. Just keep the faith :p


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